Sacking Suella 'could backfire' on PM

RISHI Sunak is expected to spend the weekend deciding Suella Braverman's fate after Tory party unrest over her attack on the police.

-  Sam Lister

No10 said the Prime Minister retained full confidence in the Home Secretary as officials continued to look into how the article accusing the police of "playing favourites" towards pro-Palestine protesters was published.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt became the most senior figure to distance himself from his Cabinet colleague as the row continued to fuel splits in the Conservative Party.

He said: "As many other Cabinet ministers have said, the words she used are not words I myself would have used.

"But I have a productive relationship with her as a colleague and I have always given her the money that she needs to fund police, bring down crime and to fund the immigration and asylum system."

Mrs Braverman's article suggested people on Gaza demonstrations are "largely ignored, even when clearly breaking the law".

Balance

The piece had not been signed off by Downing Street, which had requested significant changes were made to it before publication. Mr Sunak will decide if the Home Secretary's actions have breached the ministerial code and whether he should sack her.

But senior Tory MPs on the Right of the party warned against firing Ms Braverman, insisting she was speaking for the "silent majority".

And Conservative peer Lord Jackson stressed that Mr Sunak was in a "shaky position" and sacking the Home Secretary would "backfire".